This invention relates to spinning lures and spinner blades as are used in sportfishing, in particular a hydrodynamically efficient new design that improves the performance of spinner baits, jig spinners and so called "in-line" spinning lures, as are used for numerous species of game fish.
Conventional spinner blades, such as those designated by the names "Colorado", "Indiana", "French", and others, are well known and widely utilized in the fishing lure manufacturing industry. Numerous styles and sizes of spinning lures are currently manufactured utilizing these spinner blades. They include a broad range of spinner baits for black bass, jig spinners of all sizes for attachment to fishing jigs, and in-line spinners for species from sunfish and trout to large fresh and saltwater species.
Spinning lures are generally of two basic styles. One of the styles is represented by spinner baits and jig spinners. These lures are rigged with a "V" shaped wire harness, one example of which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,908 to Morris in 1989. One end of the wire is attached to a jig with a skirt, and the other end has a spinner attached by way of a swivel. The casting line is affixed at the point of the "V". This form of spinner attachment permits the spinner to freely spin or twirl in a circle, independent of the rest of the lure. As is described in Morris, more than one spinner blade may be attached to the lure. Jig spinners differ from spinner baits only in that the jig portion of the lure is interchangeable by way of a safety pin type of attachment, while the jig portion of a spinner bait is usually attached permanently and rigidly to one end of the wire shape.
The other basic style of spinning lure is called an in-line spinner. This type of spinning lure is assembled on a stright piece of wire. One end of the wire has a loop to which is attached the casting line and the other end of the wire is attached to a hook. Along the shaft of the straight wire, a spinner is journaled in such a manner that it will spin around the wire. Various beads may also be journaled on the shaft to provide casting weight, flash, and to facilitate the function and effectiveness of the lure.
While the conventional spinner blades commonly utilized in both of these lure styles are numerous in sizes and shapes, they are all still basically the same in design; that is, they are primarily a shaped disc which is convex when viewed from one broad side and concave when view from the opposite broad side. Typically, the blade is attached to the spinning lure at its longitudinal apex by way of a hole in the blade.
The concave/convex nature of the blades causes them to rotate or spin when operatively affixed to a fishing lure and pulled through the water. The reason these spinner blades are effective in attracting fish and causing them to strike is essentially unknown, but it is widely conjectured that the response is triggered by flash, vibration, sound, movement, or numerous other attributes of the specific assembly. Regardless of what makes spinners effective, they are widely and successfully used.
In addition to the conventional concave/convex spinner blades, numerous other blades have been invented to specifically address other needs. One such blade in common use today is the "buzz" blade. (U.S. Pat. No. 1,943,283 to B. D. Beil in 1931) This blade is commonly used in many embodiments to create a spinner bait which will "buzz" across the surface of the water when retrieved rapidly, thus causing considerable splash and attracting bass to strike aggressively. The blades differ functionally from conventional spinner blades in that they will spin when retrieved only partially submerged in the water, whereas conventional blades, such as a Colorado or Indiana blade will not. These blades are journaled on a wire shaft and are therefore fixed in their orientation on the spinning lure. While that orientation does facilitate their function for buzzing, it inhibits their function for other styles of presentations. Therefore, it has not been possible to fish a spinning lure which would be effective at both buzzing and fishing slowly, also descriptively termed "slow-rolling".
Other distinctive designs have been created which are being used today as spinners on spinner baits or jig spinners. On such design is U.S. Pat. No. D323,696 to Gentry in 1989. This blade is known to spin in a large radius, producing a thumping action to the spinner bait.
Another is U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,821 to Stanley in 1996. This blade is constructed of thicker material at the end distal to the point of attachment, thus creating greater vibration when spinning.
In-line spinners have been the subject of much innovation throughout this century, though most have not been of a practical design or marketably developed. Of particular relevance to the instant invention, U.S. Pat. No. 323,111 to Chapman in 1885, describes a trolling-bait of a "fish-shaped" design. The design and construction of this spinning lure was complex, requiring the precise assembly of many pieces of shaped material. A special propeller shaped fin had to be incorporated into the body of the design to facilitate revolving when trolled through the water. The lure also did not exhibit an accurate fish-shaped or styled profile which would permit accurate bait fish indicia to be installed on its sides. While different sizes of this lure could have been produced, it would not have been possible to change the casting weights by adding weighted beads, without significantly effecting the lures spinning efficiency. Therefore, it would not have been applicable to a broad range of fish or fishing conditions.
In light of the above discussion, it is apparent that the prior art can still be improved and suffers from the following disadvantages:
Conventional spinner blades require a minimum retrieval speed to spin. That speed may be too fast for some "slow-roll" techniques applicable to fish that require a slow presentation to draw a strike. PA1 In-line spinners utilizing conventional spinner blades will not buzz when retrieved rapidly, will not spin predictably when fished very slow, will not spin while falling on a loose line after casting, are notoriously known to hang up easily on limbs or other underwater obstructions due to the exposed hooks, generally resulting in loss of the lure, and cannot be fished vertically in a "jigged" fashion since they will frequently invert in their orientation and entangle the casting line in the hook rendering them useless for hooking a fish. PA1 Conventional spinner blades are generally heavy since they are made from thick metal in the range of 0.020 to 0.030 inch. The thick metal prevents the blades from becoming deformed with use and makes them less likely to spin at slow retrieval speeds. PA1 Conventional spinner blades do not resemble the shape of a baitfish when spinning and do not resemble the shape of a baitfish when not spinning. Further, they can not be marked with bait fish indicia to make them realisically resemble a bait fish. PA1 Conventional spinner blades will not "buzz" the surface when retrieved rapidly, since they will not spin when the bait to which they are attached is partially out of the water. Likewise, due to their rigid orientation on the bait, buzz blades will not permit a slow-roll fishing presentation and will not spin while falling through the water column after casting. PA1 Conventional spinner blades are unpredictable and likely to stop spinning with the slightest interference from grass, moss, algae, or submergered twigs. Once the spinning action is stopped, it may be difficult to start spinning again until recasting the lure. PA1 Conventional spinner blades frequently do not create a tug against the line due to resistance with the water while they are spinning, thus making it difficult to have a "feel" for the lure or for the strike of a fish. PA1 Conventional spinner blades will not predictably spin or flutter while the lure is simply falling through the water column after the cast, that is, they require the forward motion of retrieval to create a spinning action. PA1 It is well known that fish become sensitized to specific lures after having seen many of them over a long period of time. Conventional spinner blades have been around for a long time and fish are likely sensitized to their appearance and presence.
As this would indicate, a spinner blade has been needed for spinner baits, jig spinners, and in-line spinning lures which is more hydrodynamically efficient, lighter in weight, more predictable in performance, will spin at a slower speed, and produce a better feel for the lure and a fish strike. Further, it is desireable to have an spinner that actually resembles a bait fish in shape, indicia and performance. It is also desireable to have a spinner blade that will function well at both extremes of retrieval, that is, it will buzz and slow-roll, all in one lure. It is also desirable to have a in-line spinner that will buzz, spin and flutter on the fall, permit vertical jigging, and will not likely hang up on underwater structures. In addition, conventional spinner blades have been used so extensively that fish have become sensitized to their presence and may not strike them as readily. This phenomenon has been witnessed many times in the fishing world with the coming and going of lures. A new design is always readily accepted by fish and fishermen when new, thus a steady influx of new designs is crucial to the angling sport and manufacturing industry.